Dr Lucas-Jan Ebels has been promoted to head up UWP Consulting’s Transportation Division based in Bryanston, Johannesburg, following the retirement of Mike White.

“Following in Mike White’s footsteps is a big challenge, but one that I look forward to,” says Lucas. “It was Mike who interviewed me in 1998 in Europe and brought me to South Africa in 1999 to start as a graduate engineer with UWP. Taking over the role of managing the Transportation Division from him exactly 15 years later is a special milestone.”

Lucas graduated with a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Delft in the Netherlands in 1998, moving to South Africa the following year to work on rural road and development projects in the Eastern Cape for UWP.

He continued studying full time from 2003 to 2006 and obtained his doctorate (PhD) in pavement engineering, specialising in the characterisation of bitumen stabilised materials for use in road pavements, at the University of Stellenbosch in 2008.

In 2005, during his PhD studies, Lucas was awarded a scholarship by the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologist (AAPT). This was the first time in the history of this American association that the scholarship was awarded to a student outside the United States.

In 2008 he was named the “most deserving post graduate student in transportation engineering” at the University of Stellenbosch for his PhD dissertation.

During his studies, Lucas continued to assist UWP Consulting as specialist design engineer in the field of pavement design and materials on various national road rehabilitation and maintenance projects.

After completing his PhD he rejoined UWP Consulting full time in the Cape Town Office, first as principal engineer, then associate. In 2013 Lucas was promoted to technical director responsible for pavement design and materials and moved to the Bryanston office in Johannesburg.

Lucas has extensive practical experience in transportation engineering and has authored and co-authored many papers in the field of pavement engineering. He was awarded the accolade of Young Engineer of the Year by CESA in 2009 and is president of the Society for Asphalt Technology.

“My main focus in managing the Transportation Division will be on technical excellence and  ensuring that clients receive the same high standard of service, no matter where they are in South Africa or further afield,” says Lucas. “UWP projects are characterised by high quality and ethical standards and we are known for going the extra mile to provide the best client service.”

He is also passionate about training and mentoring. “Skills development is of utmost importance to keep abreast with technology and innovation. I hope to be able to continually improve our skills in transportation engineering through professional development and internal training of our staff. Graduates and young engineers will be stimulated to develop to their full potential through our award-winning Blueprint mentorship programme.

“I also look forward to playing a role in helping UWP to implement its strategy, which includes expanding our service offerings in the transportation field, increasing and diversifying our client base and expanding our business into new markets and across international borders.”